Building Trust Before Crisis: Why Mental Health Marketing Needs to Change
Most people don’t reach out for help the moment they start to struggle. They wait. They rationalize. They tell themselves “It’s not that bad yet” or “They won’t believe me anyways so why bother?”
And that’s human. We all tend to dismiss our own symptoms until something tips us over the edge. But by then, it’s often a crisis.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to show people where the threshold really is and show them the point where support can make a difference?
Because here’s the thing:
When someone is in survival mode, their brain and body will immediately go to fight, flight, freeze or fawn. This is not a place for someone to absorb new information. Learning and change in this state is hard, if not impossible. They need to be stabilized before any real work begins.
But if we can reach people earlier, when they’re still open to understanding their patterns and choices, we’re not just helping them but supporting our entire mental health system.
People get help sooner. They’re more willing to wait for services or try free resources (e.g., a video series on mindfulness) to reduce their initial symptoms.
Loved ones and support systems can assist effectively. Family members, friends, co-workers, or teachers can use what they learn to support someone while knowing when it’s necessary to encourage professional help.
Emergency rooms and crisis workers experience less strain. We can’t remove all crises from life, but education can reduce the pressure on hospitals and emergency services.
Supports a more balanced long-term career for mental health professionals. Preventative education helps spread the load and builds sustainable caseloads to reduce burnout.
How This Looks in Real Life: My ADHD Experience
Take my own experience with ADHD. For years, people dismissed my challenges as “just being disorganized”, “incredibly forgetful”, or “she will only do things she thinks are fun.” I internalized those messages and believed the problem was me.
I pushed through until I was struggling at work, feeling exhausted all the time, and burning out from the constant overwhelm of managing day-to-day life. I developed coping mechanisms that kept me afloat but kept me in survival mode. My nervous system was overloaded, and my symptoms no longer looked like ADHD but other medical conditions.
Even with doctors and mental health professionals, I struggled to explain what was happening which is weird because I am a great advocate for myself. Tests came back negative, and medications either didn’t help or made me feel worse. I felt stuck, powerless, and unsure how to change my life.
The truth? I didn’t have the proper language to understand myself.
This is exactly why ADHD content creators exploded in popularity on TikTok and Instagram. Millions of people were in that “middle ground” but not in crisis and struggling enough to ask, “Is this me?” Relatable, digestible content gave people the language and validation they needed.
But here’s the catch: that kind of content can also lead to misdiagnosis. Symptoms of ADHD often overlap with trauma, anxiety, depression, or other conditions. Without the context of a professional assessment, people may mistake one for the other.
That’s why it’s so important for mental health professionals to show up in these conversations to not only validate experiences, but also to highlight the limits of what a social media video or meme can tell you. Professionals can ground the conversation in research, offer nuance, and guide people toward proper assessment and care.
As a communication and marketing specialist, I noticed this problem: misinformation was rampant. I wanted education grounded in research and clinical expertise especially from my own trusted local health organizations but it was often lacking or non-existent.
Eventually, I found a Canadian organization that did it right. I followed their educational content, memes, and research-based posts for three months until I trusted them enough to call. After proper testing, my ADHD diagnosis was confirmed, and I received medication. On the first day I took it, within 90 minutes, all the noise in my head quieted. I was in shock. I called my sister and shouted, “Is this how everyone thinks?!” She laughed and said yes. That moment changed everything and I finally had the language and tools I needed.
This is why I started Marketing Therapy: to integrate marketing with advocacy and education. As mental health professionals, sharing your knowledge isn’t just marketing but community care. You’re giving people access to reliable, trustworthy information that helps them seek support before reaching a crisis.
The pattern is clear: waiting until crisis reduces the brain’s ability to learn, adapt, and engage with support. Preventative education builds trust and provides people with the tools to act early.
Next Step
If you’re ready to shift your marketing from promotion to advocacy and education, I can help you build a strategy that:
Builds trust with your audience
Positions you as a safe, reliable voice
Helps people access support before they hit crisis
✨ Let’s talk about how educational marketing can transform your practice. Book your introduction call today
